Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) confronted acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday about firing personnel over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
The clash took place as Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared before the Senate’s Judiciary and Homeland Security committees over the security lapse underlying the attack.
Questions have been raised about how the gunman, identified as a 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to get onto a nearby rooftop and begin shooting with a rifle.
A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks while other personnel rushed to protect Trump and escort him off the stage, but not before the former president got hit in the right ear.
One rallygoer, 50-year-old fireman Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two others were wounded and have been released from the hospital in recent days.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week, one day after testifying before the House as she faced backlash over the security failure underlying the Trump rally shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas then announced that Rowe, the Secret Service’s deputy director, would become acting director.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Hawley asked Rowe to identify the lead site agent who made the decision to leave the building on which the gunman opened fire outside of the security perimeter.
U.S. @SecretService Acting Director Rowe: “Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository! I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days.”
Sen. Josh @HawleyMO: “Then fire somebody!”
Rowe: “I will not rush to judgement.” pic.twitter.com/759aoGAgpZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 30, 2024
“Senator, I cannot give you that name,” Rowe said. “This person is operational. They’re still doing investigations. They’re still doing protective visits.”
Hawley, who noted that he knew the agent’s name, asked why this person had not been relieved of duty.
Rowe said the agent is cooperating with FBI and Secret Service investigations. “We will let the facts of the mission assurance and any further investigations play out,” he added.
Hawley suggested people being shot, including Trump getting hit in the ear, is sufficient enough to have the person who decided to keep the building outside the security perimeter step down.
Rowe pushed back on the notion of focusing on one particular agent, stressing that he wanted to figure out the “entire decision process” and interview everyone involved in security that day.
Hawley retorted by emphasizing his concern relates to why the Secret Service has not relieved of duty all the officials who made “bad” judgments.
“I’m trying to find someone who is accountable here,” the senator declared.
Hawley pressed Rowe on specific officials, including the one who let Trump on the stage despite local law enforcement flagging a suspicious individual later identified to be the gunman.
“What I need to know is exactly what happened,” Rowe said. “I need my investigators to do their job, and I cannot put my thumb on the scale.”
Rowe said Hawley was asking him “to make a rush to judgment about somebody failing” even as he acknowledged there was a “failure” on the part of the Secret Service.
“This could have been our Texas School Book Depository,” Rowe said, referring to the JFK assassination. “I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days.”
Hawley, raising his voice, said, “Then fire somebody!”
Rowe insisted, “I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity.”
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[[{“value”:”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) confronted acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday about firing personnel over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
The clash took place as Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared before the Senate’s Judiciary and Homeland Security committees over the security lapse underlying the attack.
Questions have been raised about how the gunman, identified as a 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to get onto a nearby rooftop and begin shooting with a rifle.
A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks while other personnel rushed to protect Trump and escort him off the stage, but not before the former president got hit in the right ear.
One rallygoer, 50-year-old fireman Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two others were wounded and have been released from the hospital in recent days.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week, one day after testifying before the House as she faced backlash over the security failure underlying the Trump rally shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas then announced that Rowe, the Secret Service’s deputy director, would become acting director.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Hawley asked Rowe to identify the lead site agent who made the decision to leave the building on which the gunman opened fire outside of the security perimeter.
U.S. @SecretService Acting Director Rowe: “Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository! I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days.”
Sen. Josh @HawleyMO: “Then fire somebody!”
Rowe: “I will not rush to judgement.” pic.twitter.com/759aoGAgpZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 30, 2024
“Senator, I cannot give you that name,” Rowe said. “This person is operational. They’re still doing investigations. They’re still doing protective visits.”
Hawley, who noted that he knew the agent’s name, asked why this person had not been relieved of duty.
Rowe said the agent is cooperating with FBI and Secret Service investigations. “We will let the facts of the mission assurance and any further investigations play out,” he added.
Hawley suggested people being shot, including Trump getting hit in the ear, is sufficient enough to have the person who decided to keep the building outside the security perimeter step down.
Rowe pushed back on the notion of focusing on one particular agent, stressing that he wanted to figure out the “entire decision process” and interview everyone involved in security that day.
Hawley retorted by emphasizing his concern relates to why the Secret Service has not relieved of duty all the officials who made “bad” judgments.
“I’m trying to find someone who is accountable here,” the senator declared.
Hawley pressed Rowe on specific officials, including the one who let Trump on the stage despite local law enforcement flagging a suspicious individual later identified to be the gunman.
“What I need to know is exactly what happened,” Rowe said. “I need my investigators to do their job, and I cannot put my thumb on the scale.”
Rowe said Hawley was asking him “to make a rush to judgment about somebody failing” even as he acknowledged there was a “failure” on the part of the Secret Service.
“This could have been our Texas School Book Depository,” Rowe said, referring to the JFK assassination. “I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days.”
Hawley, raising his voice, said, “Then fire somebody!”
Rowe insisted, “I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity.”
“}]]
